Revision+-+Crime+&+Punishment

__ Singapore's Legal Position on Capital Punishment __

Possible Questions: 1) Is capital punishment morally ethical? 2) Should the law be partial to juvenile delinquents? 3)"Our ancestors... purged their guilt by banishment, not death. And by so doing, they stopped that endless vicious cycle of murder and revenge. " --Euripides Do you agree with this statement? Discuss. //Is banishment a possible alternative to the death penalty?// 4) Is capital Punishment effective in curbing crime? 5) Is capital/corporal punishment a violation of human rights? 6) "The Punishment of death has never prevented determined men from injuring society." --Beccaria Do you agree with this statement? Discuss.

Why Use the Death Penalty in Singapore? - low crime rates - harsh deterence for criminals-to-be

Crimes in Singapore that Lead to Capital Punishment: 1. Murder 2. Offences against the President 3. Unlawful Possesion of Firearms 4. Mutiny 5. Piracy that Endangers Life 6. Perjury 7. Waging or Attempting to Wage War Against the Government 8. Drug Trafficking

Methods used in Singapore: 1. Hanging - 400 hangings have been carried out - drug trafficking the most number of case

Methods used in other Countries 1. Lethal Injection 2. Gas Chamber 3. Electric Chair __ Fair Trial __

Purpose: 1. protect individuals from unlawful curtailment 2. everyone has a right to fair and public hearings - essential right in all countries due to the rule of law - any trials deemed unfair will be restarted

Components: 1. Judge - legal referee to ensure trial procedure is observed - gives verdict 2. Bench Trial - held soley infront of a judge - less formal - resolved faster - favourable ruling if settlement is offered 3. Jury Trial - held before a group of people from the community - jury then makes decision

Requirements: 1. neutral judge and jury 2. uninfluenced witnesses 3. equal amount of legal counsel for both parties

Controversies: Human nature to be partial, leading to unfair trials - Thomas Goldstein was wrongly imprisoned for 24 years due to a false testimony on murder

__For / Against Capital Punishment__

What is Capital Punishment - punishment by death for a crime - killing a person by judicial process for retribution

Why For Capital Punishment? 1. Retribution, a life for a life 2. Harsher punishments deter crime 3. To maintain peace in the country 4. Laws have to protect the society and ensure people do not exact revenge on each other

Why Against Capital Punishment? 1. Innocent people may be exectued due to errors in criminal justice system 2. Effects of Capital Punishment are irreversible 3. Methods of execution are likely to cause enormous suffering